Air flow inducing device



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Fume 4, E% T. B. RHINES AIR FLOW IISIDUCING DEVICE Filed Dec. :51J` 1958 IVENTOR HamasM/hgs www M ATTORNEY Patented June 4, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR FLOW INDUCING DEVICE Thomas B. Rhines, Glastonbury, Conn., assignor to-United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application December 31, 1938, Serial'No. 248,797

(Cl. 12S-471) S;Claims. 1`

This invention relates fto improvements in air flow inducing. devices and has particular reference` to an improved cooling system for an aircooled internal combustion engine;l

An object of the invention resides in the `pro vision in an air ow device of the character specified of means for increasing the air ow and improving the distribution of air flowing through the device by removing the boundary vlayer of air from at least a `portion ofthe wall of the air flo-w passage.

A further object resides in the provision in an air ow inducing arrangement including an expansion chamber of'means for reducing energy losses due to the expansion of the air in said chamber.

A stillfurther object'residesin theeprovision of an improved cowling and cooling arrangement for an'engine or an engine heat radiating device arrangedto materially'decrease the aerodynamicA and at the Sametime provide an adequate flow of cooling air past'all of the heat radiating portions ofthe engine or radiating device.

An additional object resides in the provision in an enclosure through which an air stream is projected of means Afor reducing the loss of energy in said .air stream due `to friction with the wall ofsaid enclosure.

Other objects and advantages will be more particularly pointed out hereinafter or will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing in which like referencenumerals .are used to designate similar partsthroughout there is illustrated, by way Yof example, a. suitable mechanical embodiment of the invention. The drawing, however, is for the purposeof illustration only and is not to be taken as in any way limiting or restricting the scope of thevinvention as set forth in theaccompanying claims. v

In the drawing, the single ligure is a side elevational View of` a cowl enclosed aircraft engine, a,

portion of thecowl being broken away and shown in .sectionto illustratethe application `of the in-` ven-tion.

Referring :to lthe drawing kin detail, the numeral lllgenerally indicates an air-cooled radialengine mounted surrounding the engine shaft between.

ingsystems alone but may be used in any case in which it is desirable to reduce the wall friction induced energy loss of an air. stream flowing through an encircling channel, particularly Where such a channel is not of a .uniform diameter throughout its length.

In the arrangement illustrated for the purpose of disclosing the invention, the `engine l0 drives an aeronautical propeller, generally indicated at I2, the hub portion of which'is surroundedbya spinner lil having a streamlined Yexternal con-` tour. In the arrangement illustratedthe propeller is disposedat a considerable distancefrom the` front end of the engine and anintermediate drive it is disposed between the engineand the. propeller. The engine and apcrtion of the spin.- ner I4 is surrounded by a streamlined cowl generally indicated at lil having an outer wall 2D and. an inner wall 22 providing a closed annular space` entirely surrounding the engine. outer walls 2B and 22 are joined at the frontend by a smooth curve as indicated at 24 to provide a smoothly-curved low resistant air intake openingV mediately behind the propeller l2 thus providing a relatively narrow annular air entrance opening as indicated at 26. Immediately behind the Y air entrance opening 26 the` inner wall 22 of the cowl flares outwardly until it clears the outer ends of.4 theengine cylinders 28; This arrangement necessitates a Very rapid expansion'of the cooling air stream between the air entrance opening 26and the annular row of engine cylinders 23.. Because of the drastically restricted air entrance opening it has been found desirable to provide an .engine driven fan 3U for assisting the ow of cooling air past the engine. The hub of this fan may be the front end of the engine and the rear ofthe intermediate drive 6 and the fan maybe .driven either directly from the engine shaft o-r through a suitable gear driveieither `separately contained in the fan hub or'incorporated with the intermediate drive. This lfan may be of the propeller-` type and may have two or more blades extending from the hub outwardly to a position adjacent the air properly to the fan to thereby increase the fan efliciency and theseguide vanes mayconstitute a support forthe forward end-ofthe cowl.v

The inner and With the arrangement illustrated and herein'- above described there is a considerable tendency for the air to fail to expand rapidly in its passage from the'air entrance opening to the fan. This may be due to air pressure inside the cowl and to various other causes. Such a condition means that only a relatively short section of the fan blades are utilized in propelling the air stream and that the air ow past the engine cylinders differs greatly in velocity across its transverse vsection thus causing a relatively inefficient fan operation and in some cases an uneven cooling of the various parts of the engine cylindersor a heat dissipating radiator disposed in the air Stream.

The above mentioned disadvantages may be.

overcome and the fan may be rendered highly eiiicient and the ow of cooling air evenly distributed over the heat radiating surface of the element to be cooled by providing in therinner cowl wall immediately to the rear of the air entrance opening 2B a relatively large number of apertures or perforations, as indicated at 34, and connecting the annular space between the inner and outer cowl walls with some inductive device such vas the engine carburetor 36. While the air intake of the engine carburetor is sufficient to produce the necessary inductive eifect in the arrangement illustrated, the invention is in no way limited to this particular arrangement and any other means such as an induction fan or pump or an inductive air iiow may be provided to draw a portion of the airA entering the opening 26 through the aperture 34 and into the space be-l tween the inner and outer cowl walls or in any case to draw a portion of the air through the apertures in the air stream encircling enclosure in case the air flow device contemplated is not a. double walled cowl as illustrated. A very slight suction on the aperture 34 serves to continuously remove the thin lever of air which tends to cling tothe innersurface of the inner wall 22 and produce friction with the air stream owing through this encircling wall. The removal of this boundary'layer eliminates eddy current and stagnation areas around the outside of the air stream thereby permitting the air stream to expand freely and to assume the form of a stratified flow through the expansion chamber immediately to the rear of the air entrance opening. A part of this effect may be ascribed to the reduction in energy loss in the portion of the air stream adja.. cent the confining surface. By maintaining a smooth flow and uniform expansion of the air stream in the expansion chamber the entire length of the' fan blades are used and an air stream of uniform velocity cross section is directed to the cylinders 28 or other heat radiating device.

While a particular mechanical embodiment has -been illustrated and hereinabove described for the purpose of disclosing the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the particular embodiment so illustrated and described but that such changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the various components may be resorted to as come within the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having now described the invention so that others skilled in the art may clearly understand the same, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In an engine cooling system, an enclosure having a restricted air entrance opening, an air exit opening and an expansion chamber between said entrance opening and said exit opening, a perforate wall for the major portion of said expansion chamber having relatively small perforations uniformly distributed thereover, and means for continuously drawing the outer layer of air from said expansion chamber through said perforations.

2. In an engine cooling system, an enclosure having a restricted air entrance opening, an air exit opening and an expansion chamber between said entrance opening and said exit opening, a Wall for said expansion chamber having relatively small perforations distributed over a substantial portion of the area thereof, and means operated by said engine for continuously withdrawing the layer of air next to said wall from said expansion chamber through said perforations during engine operation.

3In an engine cooling system, an enclosure having a restricted air entrance opening, an air exit opening and an expansion chamber between said entrance opening and said exit opening, a wall for said expansion chamber having a large number of relatively small perforations uniformly distributed entirely around the smaller end of said chamber, and anvair intake for said engine operatively connected with the side of said perforate wall opposite said chamber for continuously withdrawing the outer layer of air from said ex; pansion chamber through said perforations during engine operation.

4. In an engine cooling system, a double walled cowl providing an annular space about the engine heat radiating means, said cowl having a restricted air entrance opening, an exit opening andan expansion chamber between said entrance opening and said exit opening provided with a surrounding wall having a, largeA number of relatively small perforations distributed over the area thereof, and means operated by said engine operatively associated with said annular space for continuously drawing air from said expansion chamber through said perforations during engine operation.

5. In an engine cooling system, a double Walle cowl providing a closed annular space adjacent to said engine, said cowl having a restricted air entrance opening, an air exit opening, and an air expansion chamber between said entrance opening and said exit opening, the inner wall of said double walled cowl having a large number of relatively small perforations distributed over the area thereof surrounding said expansion chamber, a carburetor for said engine, Vand an air intake for said carburetor connected with said closed annular space for continuously withdrawing the outer layer of air from said expansion chamber through said perforations during operation of said of 'said wall outside of said channel and with said engine air intake for continuously withdrawing 'air through said perforations from the outer layer'of air in the divergent portion of said channel.

7. Means for reducing the friction loss at a cowl inlet and increasing the air flow under a cowl comprising a smooth cowl inner wall having a large number of relatively small perforations distributed over the area thereof, and means for reducing the pressure on the outside of said wall to continually withdraw the boundary layer adjacent said inner wall through said perforations.

8. In an engine cooling system in combination, an engine cowl having an air entrance, an air exit and an expansion chamber therebetween,

said cowl having a perforated wall in said expansion chamber serving as a guide for cooling air for said engine, and means for reducing the friction loss of air passing over said wall and increasing the air ow through said cowl comprising means for removing the boundary layer adjacent said wall through the perforations in said wall. i

THOMAS B. RHINES. 

